The taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by mere inches! The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and started yelling bad words at the driver and his passenger, but the driver of the cab just smiled and waved at the guy. He was actually friendly!
So, the passenger asked him, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and could've sent us to the hospital!"
And this is when the taxi driver told his passenger about The Law of Garbage Trucks.
"Many people are like Garbage Trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it, and if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. Instead, just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happier because you did."
In another incident, a friend was in Las Vegas and had experienced a near miss at winning $50,000 because a Keno runner did not put her ticket in at the right time. My friend was noticeably upset, but had to hurry to catch a plane.
As she rode in the taxi to the airport, a huge truck pulled directly in front of the cab without looking, and by a miracle, a major accident was avoided through the cabbies swift reaction. After the initial shock, my friend told the cab driver about the lost $50,000 because of the keno runner’s mistake. He looked in the rear view mirror at her and smiled. “You almost had $50,000, and you just almost lost your life. So the balance sheet is even now as you were saved from a dire consequence that the money would not have been able to solve.”
Next time you take a cab, engage the driver in conversation and see what pearl of wisdom he/she has to offer.
From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Summer 2008